Wednesday, August 26, 2015

The
Ministry of Mines Government of India has recently notified the Mineral (Auction
Rules, 2015). through notification dated-18th May 2015. These rules shall apply
to all minerals except minerals notified as minor minerals specified in clause
(e) of section 3 and minerals specified in part A & B of the Schedule to
the Act. The Government proposes to auction grant of Mining Lease where mineral
content of an area has been established (G-2) stage and composite license of
mineral deposits in the minerals bearing area where preliminary exploration
(G-3) has been completed to establish Inferred Minerals Reserve. The
auctioning proposed by the Ministry of Mines is similar to the auctioning of
coal blocks being conducted by Ministry of Coal, however the perspectives are
fundamentally different.

It
needs to be understood that the occurrence, nature and disposition of non-coal
minerals is fundamentally different as compared to coal. While coal is a
uniformly occurring stratified bedded deposit comprising gentle to moderately
dipping coal seams, Non –Coal minerals specially copper, lead , zinc, gold,
manganese generally occur as steeply dipping veins and lenses exhibiting pinch
and swell character along the dip and strike
of the mineralization. Therefore techniques of exploration for non coal
minerals is radically different as compared to coal exploration. While
exploration of coal is simple involving no special technique because of its
uniform bedded nature, exploration of metalliferous deposits require to be
conducted after mapping and assessing the geo-structural elements which control
the mineralization. A three dimensional approach is required for identifying hot
spots i.e favorable locales of mineral concentration. A state of the art multi
pronged exploration technique involving
mapping of the geological formation including gossans and their Structural
elements like dip, strike, plunge of folds and pucker lineation’s etc. followed
by identification of geo chemical halos through low detection multi elemental
geo chemical sampling is required to be conducted. Mineral search would ideally
require geo physical surveys like Self Potential, EM, Gravity for identifying
deep seated/buried mineral deposits having no signatures on the surface, Integration
of the above studies would lead to the launching of an exploration, program to
target the ore body through deviation controlled drilling by angular boreholes.

The Ministry of Mines follows
the United Nation Framework Clarification for assessment of Mineral Reserve
& Resources. The UNFC consist of three axes. Geological Assessment (G), Feasibility Assessment
(F) Economic viability (E). Presently exploration in India is mostly confined
to the Geological Axes (G-2 & G-3 stage) with little or no information on
the Feasibility assessment or Economic viability (axes).This makes it extremely
difficult to take an investment decision on commercial mining of mineral
deposits.

The Ministry of Mines is
proposing that the State Government may initiate auction process for grant of
mining lease with respect to an area within the state where minerals content
have been established. However all the deposits being put up for auction of
mining lease would have information only on one axis is Geological Assessment
and up to G-2 stage (Identified Resource). Therefore the successful besides
would have to conduct detailed exploration along with feasibility studies and assess
Economical viability of the prospect before mining can be taken up . This
implies that to explore the deposit it would take considerable amount of time.

For auction of composite
license a mineral leasing area should have had Preliminary Exploration (G3)
done to establish Mineral Inferred Resource. The successful bidder would have
to carry out his own exploration programme to establish the existence of
mineral deposit if any in the area the chances of which could be remote. In
case a mineral deposit is establish, he would apply to the state Government for
Mining Lease.

It can be seen from above that
both ML & CL would involve detailed techno commercial studies in the Economic;
Viability and Geological axes before mining can take place. Selection of the
right mineral deposit/ mineral bearing area being put for auction would be the
key to success or failure.

Sunday, August 9, 2015

Urban Green Spaces are squeezing day by day due
to continuous and unplanned urban development.
Theneed
of the hour
is a sustainable development. Economic
development is also necessary for the growth of economy of the country but
whether it could be achieved without disturbing the environment, is a big
question . The Government should concentrate on the ways of economic development
which are practical and environment friendly. We can sustain with lower
economic growth but not against nature’s anguish. This is also responsible for
stressed lifestyle of modern urban Indian. We must understand
benefits/importance ofurban green spaces and at the same time we should emphasize on
development of more urban green spaces
and conservation of existing
green spaces (Parks
& Stadiums/Forests, Rivers, Lakes) by improving our land use
planning practices and make people aware about the impact of green spaces on
their lifestyle.

Green space in an office premises or home can help to reduce stress
and enhance work efficiency. Even a view of greenery through the office window
or a small stroll in the office garden can help a lot to uplift the mood and
cheerfulness. That’s why mostly people don’t like to work in a basement office
or don’t like to live in a basement portion of home. These days due to excess
workload, stress and stress- related diseases
are increasingly becomingmajor
health challenges with an enormous cost for
individuals , organizations and communities . The workplace green spaces provide employees
the experience of serenity, wilderness ,
and intimate contact withnature at
arm’s length. Workplace is both a source of livelihood and a major contributor
of stress related illness. Indeed, access to natural elements in urban systems
has been found to promote physical health, relaxation, positive emotions
, tranquility, revitalization,satisfaction, cognitive fitness
and psychological well-being. Thus, provisioning of green space in the
workplace can contribute to health and happiness of workers. Interestingly,
workplace green spaces are among the least studied types of urban green
infrastructure.

Urban green
spaces form an integral component of planning of cities to serve a variety of
important objectives. Urban green spaces are called “Lung Spaces” of the
town/city. But now-a-days due to excess horizontal and leapfrog development it
becomes a very difficult to find a scalable green space in urban areas. In
India the situation is very worst in case of small & medium towns/cities.As we know
the importance of green spaces on the health & happiness of people
and environment of the cities. It becomes very important to retain our forest
areas in the city limit. According to draft Urban
& Region a lDevelopment
Plans Formulation & Implementation (URDPFI) guidelines, 16
to 20 percent of area in land use plans for metrocities should be proposed for recreational activities. But in a
country like India with a large population living in urban areas (31.2% urban
population according to 2011 census) the traditional land use planning is now
become an outdated practice. Our urban local bodies are not capable to acquire
the land and developed green spaces on proposed place, because many
municipalities do not have funds to acquire land.

From
theplanning point ofview, anetwork of highqualitygreenspaceslinking residential areas
with business, retail and
leisure developments can help
toimprovethe accessibility
and attractiveness
of local
facilities
and employmentcenters.Well-
designednetworksofgreenspacesencourage
peopletotravelsafelybyfootorbybicyclefor
recreationorcommuting. Weshouldalso promote more
andmore green buildings to reduce our
energycost. Providing good pedestrianandcycletracksandimplementing landscapeplanwillhelptoreplacerickshawby cyclerickshaw.

In European Countries
more
than 60%
householdusegreencorridorsincities. Open spaces are often
used as green corridors
wherever travel
times takes 10-15 minutes to reach
the destination. Furthermore, well- designedurbangreenspacesprovideabarrier
tonoiseandcanfunctionasavisualscreen

Urbanlocal bodiesshouldtakeinitiativesto develop some
open spaces
in already
developedareasorcoreareasby
providing Transferable
Development Rights
(TDR) benefits to people who are ready
to take advantages
in Floor Area Ratio (FAR)
in the outerperipheryofacity.

The appearance of a green building is
similar to any other building. However, the difference is in the
approach, which revolves round a concern for extending the life span of natural
resources; provide human comfort, safety and productivity. This approach
results in reduction in operating costs like energy and water, besides several
intangible benefits. Like minimal disturbance to landscapes and site condition,
Use of recycled and environmental friendly building materials, use of non-toxic
and recycled/recyclable materials, efficient use of water and water recycling,
use of energy efficient and eco-friendly equipment, use of renewable energy,
quality of indoor air quality for human safety and comfort, effective controls
and building management systems.

WhatisaGreenBuilding?

Agreenbuildingisonewhichuses

•Lesswater

•Optimizes energyefficiency

•Conservesnaturalresources

•Generateslesswaste

Provideshealthierspacesforpeopleas comparedtoaconventionalbuilding

PLANNINGFORGREENINFRASTRUCTURE

Planningforgreeninfrastructurehererefersto
policies andplanningaffectingurbangreen infrastructure,inparticularthroughprocesses
of
land use and management and development of nature
areas andelements. This
planning enables, restricts, and regulates generation of ecosystem servicesand their distribution,i.e.whocan
benefitfromthem. Atthenormativepolicylevel,generalvalue- basedgoalsaredefinedasguidelinesformore
specific policies and strategies and their operationalization.Strategic planningaimsat specifyingthe value purposes
defined at the normative level
into precise practical goals, adapted
to interests arising
from local
conditions.

WhatisGreenInfrastructure?

Green Infrastructure
is a network providing the “ingredients” for solving urban and climaticchallengesby
buildingwithnature. The main
components of this approach includestormwatermanagement,climate
adaptation,
less heat stress,
more
biodiversity,foodproduction,better
air quality,sustainableenergyproduction,clean water
and healthy soils, as well as the more anthropocentric functions such as increased qualityoflife throughrecreationand
providing shadeandshelterinandaround townsandcities.

Urbangreenspacesprovidetownandcountry
dwellerswith significant environmental, recreationalandmaterialbenefits.They
are alsohometoavastdiversityoffloraandfauna
andarerecognizedasimportant repositories ofbio-diversity.Urbangreenspacesandurban waterbodiesinmostcasescoexist.Thismakes
variousdimensionsofaquaculturesignificant in an urban contextas
well. Urban green spaces are critical for
keeping our cities habitable and make them health and energy
efficient.Good qualityof greenspacesplays
a vitalroleinenhancingthequalityofurbanlife.
Urbangreensnotonlyaddaestheticgraceand quality to residentialareas intownsand cities but also
provide
many
environmental,
ecologicalarideconomicbenefitsandplaykey roleinmakingthemmoreefficient,healthy
and more attractive
for business and leisure. Green
cities with extensive tree
cover
are moreresilienttomajorweathereventscaused byclimatechange. Functionalattributesof
urbangreenspacesareasunder:

Well-managed and maintained
green spaces contribute tosocial
justice by creating opportunitiesforpeople ofall ages to interact. Urban green spaces emphasize
the diversity of urbanareas by reflecting the different communities they serve and
meeting their varying needs. They enhance cultural life
by providing venues for local festivals, civic celebrations and theatrical performances .

Particular types of green space can offer a bigger diversity
of land uses
and opportunities for a wide range of activities which help to foster
active lifestyles and can be of real benefit to health.

Urbangreenspacesprovide safeplay
spaceforchildren; contribute tochildren
physical, mental and social development particularlyregardingenvironment and nature.
Urban green spaces
help in deliveringkey
benefitsforpublichealth
andwellbeing.Evidenceshowsthatgreen spaces assist in improvement
in level of physicalactivity,health,psychologicaland mental
wellbeing.
Studies show that about83% individuals living closer to
green
spaces engagemore in
social activity.